Your Guide On How To Drink Like 'Justified'

Watching episodes of Justified from season one now can be tough. It’s not that they aren’t good — in fact, some, like “Long in the Tooth,” are quite excellent — but, well, Justified wasn’t sure what kind of show it wanted to be yet, so we’re left with Boyd wearing glorified muscle tanks (shades of Jeff Winger donning this monstrosity in the Community pilot) and a show that didn’t know how “cool” it would become. Now, three years later, with season four premiering on FX tonight (!!!!!!!!!!!), Justified just might be the coolest show on TV, and just like your middle school guidance always told you: all the cool kids are drinking.

Justified without alcohol is no Justified at all. Everything I know about Kentucky, and the south in general, I learned from guinea pig-owner Raylan, Boyd, Ava, & Co., and I’m fairly certain it’s 100% accurate. (“People hide money in pig bellies, got it.”) So, in honor of tonight’s episode, I took a look back, with help from the great It’s Justified, at some of Justified‘s most important alcohol-infused scenes to figure out which character drinks what and to pass along some recipes (though DRINK THEM STRAIGHT). Be your very own #teambartender.

This one’s horrific, but if you feel like honoring the late Emmitt Arnett and want a little disgusting kick to your caffeine, put some Pappy Van Winkle in your coffee. But please don’t, because ew.

The dignified Art has a refined fondness for Blanton’s. To quote the man himself, “No, that’s enough. I’m the chief, this is my office, it’s my informant, and it’s my call. And that’s my bottle. And I’m not gonna let you drink it all just because your daddy didn’t hug you much when you were little.” I’ve had success with this concoction:

Place three sticks cinnamon in a small mason jar and cover with light rum. Allow to sit for two weeks.

Preparation

In a shaker with ice, combine the above ingredients and shake. Pour over ice or into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fresh kumquat. (Via)

Like any good “white trash” family, the Crowders favor Jim Beam and Wild Turkey. Here’s a good cold weather recipe that calls for Mr. Beam called “The Broken Leg.” (I couldn’t find “Paralyzed from the Waist Down.”)

And lastly, there’s Lindsay, who, when Ava drops by to visit Raylan, offers her, “Elmer T. Lee single barrel, water back.” How come? “Friends of the deputy get top shelf.” This one doesn’t need instructions, just a shot glass.

Oh so agreed. I go 3 to 1 ratio on whiskey to sweet vermouth but I think it depends on taste.

I highly recommend the Mr. Boston Bartenders guide to anyone interested in the classic drink recipes. I received one on my 21st birthday from my grandfather with the quote, “this should serve the purpose” on the inside of the jacket. I passed the same along to my groomsmen on my wedding day.

If you’re ever in one of the Whiskyfest cities (SF, Chicago, NY … Houston?), I highly recommend trying to get tickets. $125/per, but you get ALL the whisk(e)ys you can imagine, including every tier of Pappy this last year, from 15 up to 23+. They were magnificent.

Hm. I’d swear it was $125, but the lady bought the tickets, so I might be mistaken. I don’t know that it’s worth every penny, particularly if you have to travel for it, but it’s a fun experience to do once if you can swing it.

My favorite affordable bourbon. The crazy thing is that it has gotten cheaper in my town in recent years. I don’t think it sold very well when it came out and it was initially more expensive than Jack. Then the price started to drop quite a bit. Unfortunately, I think it is getting really popular and the price might go back up.

love the bottle as well. I keep the rye and bourbon bottles as the centerpiece to my liqour shelf. Maybe its the name forcing the idea in my head but I just picture them lined up on a fence post in the old west as I aim a six-shooter at them.

The price really is great. I got it because my local liquor store was out of Maker’s, and I figured it was worth a shot. Great taste, very smooth and I agree, the bottle is really nice looking and draws the eye to it.

I believe that you can’t. The best way is to have an ‘in’ with a distributor. Don’t fuck around with waiting lists but always check the bourbon section anytime you go to a liquor store. My friends who have bottles all got them at some random store that didn’t know what they had.

Before you go to too much trouble I’d also recommend trying it first at a bar if you haven’t already. It’s great, but not my favorite bourbon, and may not be worth the hassle.

Even locally, you have to be on a distributor’s good side or win a raffle to get your hands on a bottle these days. The show *really* increased demand. Lady 0t scored me a 15 this year through some magic of working connections, and now I’m scared to open the damn thing lest it be gone forever…

Van Winkle isn’t even Van Winkle anymore. They ran out of the Stitzel-Weller casks just as their popularity jumped. You’re just drinking fancy Buffalo Trace now. You can get twelve year old Weller for twenty bucks and its close to twelve year Lot B.

That’s not exactly true Eddie Baby. 20 and 23 are still the old lot pre-Buffalo Trace. That doesn’t mean that 15 sucks though. 15 is still awesome. And most bourbons all come from a few different distilleries anyway; the magic is in the barrel and blending.

As you age, you learn to love your internal organs. Hence, my twist (or not, but I never heard anybody doing it prior) on the Old Fashioned — the New Fangled:

1. Highball glass with three inches of large ice cubes (my fridge does those crescent-shaped jobs).
2. Semi-cheap bourbon (Evan Williams Green is fine for this) up to cover the ice.
3. Top with Canada Dry DIET Ginger Ale from the can (no more than half a can). Use the cans because those big bottles lose their carbonation too fast.

Don’t waste the Maker’s on this. That’s for sipping after three New Fangleds.

@JTRO: the diet ginger is less likely to make your brain hurt, because the sugar metabolizing with the carbonation is the source of the pain. Also, I just don’t like sugary drinks, and the diet seems to have more bite. I would skimp on the bourbon before going with anything other than Canada Dry Diet, though. That Schweppes goes flat before you get it out of the bottle, and the store brand tastes like nothing.

Bourbon girl here. On the rocks straight, or with diet ginger or coke (to my father’s shame). I must share that the Costco Kirkland “premium small batch bourbon” is DELICIOUS. 103 proof. The Costco guy asked if I was buying for my dad or husband.

Last year i watched every single episode of Justified season 3 while drinking beer and eating chicken wings. Sure, i gained a few pounds, but it was god damn worth it. I’m planning on doing the same this year.

What the fuck have I been doing for three years watching this show stone cold sober? No chance of finding any bourbon as I am currently living in a country ass town in Korea at the moment. Hopefully a few giant bottles of cheap watery beer will suffice.